At 5 feet 10 inches she was the tallest actress at that time, but managing to do several noteworthy roles even acting alongside shorter leading men.

[5] Initially reluctant to follow her father's footsteps towards a career in acting, she completed her bachelor's degree in commerce from SBRR Mahajana First Grade College, Mysore, and appeared for the Civil Services Examination.

Having not gained recognition from these films, Pavitra completed her graduation and began working for a human resource consulting company.

[5] Pavitra received critical acclaim for her performance in Girish Kasaravalli's period drama Naayi Neralu (2006), a film based on S. L. Bhyrappa's novel of the same name.

Impressed by her performance in the television soap Guptagamini, Kasaravalli cast her as a widowed Venkatalakshmi, daughter-in-law and mother of two other characters; the film revolving around these three characters living under one roof, and projecting their own perspectives exposing generation gap in a conflict-ridden society.

[10] Her portrayal of a woman caught between tradition and desire won her the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actress.

In Nagabharana's television soap Jeevanmukhi, she was cast as a middle-aged widow, a role that was received well.

[11] During the time, she also appeared in other soaps such as Gelathi, Neethi Chakra, Dharitri, Punarjanma and Eshwari.